Work centers have become quite popular for indoor and outdoor use. Many such work centers are portable, that is, they include wheels so that the work center can be readily transported from one location to another. One known work center is configured as a mobile workstation and includes four wheels or casters positioned at the corners of the workstation. The station includes a plurality of slide-out drawers and a worktop. The station is formed from a molded plastic frame and includes metal runners for the slide-out drawers. The workstation can include, for example, tool receptacles and a recessed front dish for storage of small parts.
Another known mobile workstation includes four wheels positioned at each of the corners and an open central region for storing large materials. Essentially, this known work station is a reinforced, open cart.
Still another type of "station" is configured as a stationary barbecue center. The barbecue center includes open shelf space and a slotted top rack or support surface for holding, for example, barbecue tools. The barbecue center includes an elevated shelf region positioned at the rear of the uppermost support surface for supporting various implements and condiments that may be used when barbecuing.
While these work stations all function well for their respective intended purposes, they do in fact have their drawbacks. First, the known stations do not include a locking, central storage region that can be used to store larger items, such as electric hand tools or other relatively valuable items that it may be desirable to store in a locked place. Second, while the known work stations provide either complete mobility or a complete stationary function, such stations that include four wheels can be prone to inadvertently roll or otherwise drift away from a desired set location. This can be particularly troublesome when one is working on the top surface of such a work station.
An additional drawback is that the known workstations do not, for the most part, provide sufficient area for storage of, for example, hand tools. Nor do most such stations include preconfigured, readily accessible tool storage regions. As such, small hand tools such as pliers, wrenches, screwdrivers and the like can become scattered and/or lost as a result of this lack of preconfigured or preset storage regions.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a portable storage system that includes a locking, central storage regions for securely storing, for example, electric power tools and the like. In such a system, a desirable storage region includes shelves or bins to increase the usable storage area. Desirably, such a system includes a plurality of preconfigured storage regions for storing small hand tools and the like. Most desirably, such a portable work center includes an additional elevated storage region or shelf for increasing the storage area for small items that can easily become lost, such as hardware items and the like, and to provide ready access to such items.